


of candles and blessings

by forbala



Series: Jewish works [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Future Fic, Jewish Character, Jewish Holidays, Jewish Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-12 13:12:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16873521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forbala/pseuds/forbala
Summary: Holidays are always hard when you're missing family. Stiles and Derek know that better than most. Stiles has celebrated the holidays mostly by himself ever since his mother died and his father just about gave up. But now he's grown and he can build something new and just as meaningful.





	of candles and blessings

**Author's Note:**

> I love this verse and all of you so much. I can't believe people like this verse and you've all been so great. Thank you so much.

Stiles moves the side table in front of the living room window, looking down onto the street below. He sets the menorah on it and grabs up two candles, placing one in the middle and one on the far right. “Derek, you ready?” he calls.

“Almost!” Derek replies from the kitchen. A minute or so later, he comes into the living room, kissing Stiles’ cheek. He hands Stiles the lighter. Meg sits beside them, panting up at them and hoping for attention.

“Great, here we go.” Stiles looks up to his dad with a smile as he recites the blessings and holds tight to Derek’s hand. It’s their first Chanukah together, and the first one the Sheriff has celebrated in years. He flew in from Beacon Hills just for the holiday. Stiles is trying really hard not to cry.

Once the candles are lit and the blessings said, they move into the kitchen. Derek made latkes and vegetable egg rolls and Stiles loves him for it. 

“Here, dad,” he says, passing his dad the applesauce from the fridge. John opens it and sets it on the table with a spoon. Derek plates the food and brings it as well. They sit down, chatting and laughing and eating. 

“I'm glad you're here, dad,” Stiles says suddenly, after they've pretty much finished their food.

John stops and looks at him. “Yeah. Me too, Stiles.”

It’s quiet for a moment before Derek says, “Stiles, you were telling me earlier about the Maccabees?”

Stiles grins and starts in on the story. “And this is my favorite part,” he says. “So Judith is a Maccabee and she's a widow, right, but she's gorgeous. So she goes to the Greek camp, just walks up like she belongs there, and seduces the general. She gets him drunk and cuts off! His head! Then, that's not even the best part, okay, then she puts the head in her basket and leaves. The next day, she stands on the wall of Jerusalem and pulls that head out and shows the Greeks and everybody. So now they have no leader and it’s a Maccabee win.”

John grimaces. “Stiles, what the hell?”

Stiles shrugs. “That's what happened. I can't help it if Judith is a badass.”

Derek is smiling dopily at him and Stiles blushes and looks down to pet Meg, who’s sitting with her head in his lap. 

~

On the second night, they go out to dinner. They eot fried chicken and onion rings—more oil-cooked foods, greasy and heart-clogging. Stiles even lets his dad eat some onion rings with his grilled chicken. “Thanks,” his dad says, sarcastic. “I feel so spoiled.”

Stiles grins like a little shit. 

Later, once they're home, they light the menorah. Derek says the blessing, this time, repeating after Stiles. “ _Barukh atah Adonai,_ ” he says slowly. “ _Eloheinu melekh ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Chanukah._ ” He tries to get the throaty quality of at the beginning of “Chanukah” but falls short, but Stiles loves that he tries. 

Stiles leans over to kiss his shoulder and says, “That was great, sourwolf.”

Derek blushes.

~

On night number three, they forego the fried foods and Stiles plans to make pasta with the nice Israeli olive oil he’d gotten on his Birthright trip. They’ll also have garlic bread that they dip in olive oil, and asparagus cooked with olive oil. When Stiles gets on a theme, he really goes for it. Plus, olive oil is delicious.

“Dad, you wanna light the candles?” he asks while he stirs the pasta.

“Oh, I don’t know, Stiles,” John hedges.

“You can if you want.”

“Okay. I guess.” John looks uncomfortable. While the water boils and the oven heats up, they go light the menorah. Stiles is surprised to find John knows the blessing by heart. 

When he’s finished, John starts crying. Stiles hugs him. It’s been since Stiles’ mom was alive that John has done anything related to Judaism. He didn’t even give Stiles a bar mitzvah—some of the moms and dads at the synagogue had sort of adopted him and supported him instead. Stiles isn’t upset about it, not really. He understands. And so they stand there by the menorah and they hug and they cry.

~

The rest of the week passes quickly. Stiles finishes his last final and goes, exhausted, to the bookstore to see Derek. “I’m fucking finished,” he proclaims, marching inside.

“How’d it go?” Derek asks, coming out from behind the counter to hug him. 

“Brutal but I think I did okay. This charmed coffee really helped.” Stiles pulls away from Derek to hug the coffee machine instead. 

“I knew it, you’re only dating me for my coffee,” Derek sighs.

“You figured it out. I’ve been like, dropping hints.”

~

Finally, the eighth day rolls around and they gather once again in the living room. Stiles lights the candles and they say the blessing together. When it’s all lit, Stiles takes a picture. He wants to remember this: the festival of lights with his dad and with his boyfriend. He’s going to cherish this moment forever.


End file.
